


Fallout

by sinecure



Category: Community
Genre: Angst, F/M, Humor, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-27
Updated: 2012-01-09
Packaged: 2017-10-28 06:08:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/304578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sinecure/pseuds/sinecure
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Annie's completely failed, and yet, successful, attempt at getting Jeff to join the Glee club with the rest of the group, Jeff takes home a souvenir.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Spoilers:** 3x10 (Regional Holiday Music)  
>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own Community and I make no money from it.

"What's that?"

Jeff glanced up at Britta's question, startled that she'd suddenly appeared where no one had been just seconds before. His eyes followed hers to his bag on the floor by his chair. Crap. "None of your business?"

If anything, his casual dismissal of her question made her even more curious. She crossed to him, peering into the bag, yanking it open as he tried to close it. The crinkling plastic sounded overly loud to him under her suspicious gaze. "And, yet, you're treating it _like_ something. Curious."

"The only thing curious here is why--"

"It's a Santa suit!" Her bright eyes landed on him. "You're stealing a _Santa_ suit?"

Stilling at her accusation, thinking quickly, he scoffed, then gave that up as a vain pursuit. Britta wasn't dumb, and when faced with a lie, she'd scratch at it like the claws of one of her cats stuck in the fabric of her couch. "Yes."

A smirk lit her lips, but then suddenly dropped away, eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Wait. Why are you stealing a Santa suit?"

"I... just am. None of your business." As brush offs went, that was one of his worst. He sounded like a five-year-old faced with a bully's taunt and no come back.

Her smirk rode higher and he knew-- _knew_ \--what she was thinking almost as if he were inside her head listening in on each and every thought process. "Are you, Jeffrey Winger, actually a fan of Christmas? Is all that 'oh the darkness is what's inside our hearts on Christmas and only comes out during... with the-- mistletoe and evil and--' shut up!" She pointed at him and poked him in the chest with each new word. "You're a closet-Christmas nut. You only _say_ you hate it. You probably secretly enjoyed the glee thing."

How close to the truth, and yet, so, so far away.

Yeah, he'd enjoyed the glee club thing, but only for a brief and shining moment in which he'd also hated himself and berated himself and wished himself anywhere but where he'd been.

Anywhere but where Annie was.

Anywhere but where Annie was straddling his lap and baby-talking in a completely non-sexy way that somehow wrapped around and actually became sexy. To his eternal shame.

Smart. Strong. Beautiful. Sexy. All were words he'd use to describe Annie. But when she was singing to him--just him--and slinking around in that outfit. When she was looking at him like she'd been earlier that day. When she was pouting at him like a naughty schoolgirl... well, they all knew he had a thing for that.

So, was it really beyond belief that he'd respond to her?

Absolutely not, hence the reason she'd used the tactic. He just hoped that she didn't try it again soon, but without the baby-talk. If not for the baby-talk and the complete lack of actual Annie in her seduction, he'd have been more than tempted. He was only human after all and his plans were known for changing. A lot. And Annie was... Annie was...

Annie just was.

And he wasn't quite ready yet.

"Earth to Jeff. Come in, Jeff."

Snapping back to reality from visions of Annie dressed in _that_ outfit, reading something from one of her books as she straddled him, he blinked at Britta. "What?"

"I said you're a big, fat phony, and you just kind of stared into the distance."

He nodded, ducking his head like she'd caught him. It was better than the truth. "Yeah, I-- totally. You got me." Seeing her eyes narrow at his easy acceptance and admission, he towered over her. "Don't breathe a word about it to anyone, or I will destroy you. I have pictures."

That seemed to break her off of his scent. Whatever else Britta was or was not, she could sniff out his bullshit better than almost anyone else, so he had to work extra hard to cover his tracks.

"Oh, please. I have pictures, too. You're not the only one who knows how to use a cell phone camera."

Startled, he stared down at her. He'd been bluffing. What did she have on him? "Great. Why don't we mutually get rid of our mutually assured destruction?"

She scoffed loudly, rolling her eyes. "As if. I'm not giving up a bargaining chip that easily. I'm saving it for the right time. And that time will come, Jeff. It. Will. Come."

"Okay, duh-rama Queen." Zing.

She sneered for a second before losing interest and beaming. "You're playing Santa. Who for? Oh, is it underprivileged kids? Awww," she practically squealed, reminding him of too many women in his life. He had to get new friends.

"Yes. That is exactly what I'm doing. Totally that."

Britta and soft didn't go hand in hand, but she occasionally liked to let her inner girl come out to play and he liked to taunt her about it, but tonight, he just wanted to get home, so he let it go.

Britta didn't.

"This is such blackmail material. You know I'm going to use this against you, don't you? There are so many things that I-- oh, oh. You're so going to be my go-to guy on psych class stuff."

"No."

She brushed that off as if he'd said the world was flat and it didn't matter in the least. "Next semester, we're--"

"Hey." Annie breezed into the room, looking around for something. Or avoiding looking at him?

Jeff went to grab the bag to make sure it was folded over, but Britta beat him to it.

"Jeff's stealing a Santa suit!" She pulled a corner of the suit out for Annie's inspection, practically hopping in her excitement.

Annie crossed to the couches and grabbed a book with a triumphant noise. Her eyes found his after Britta's words registered and she smirked. "Really? Why?" Her smile dropped away. "Do we want to know?"

Glaring at Britta, he grabbed the bag and shoved the suit sleeve back inside, seeing Annie's eyes dropping to it. "Remind me to never give you secret spy information, because you suck at this." Calming his panicked breathing, he darted his gaze back to Annie, hoping she hadn't really seen the suit.

He wasn't ready for this yet. He had plans! And a time schedule... though, he wasn't completely inflexible.

"Oh," she squeaked, and there went his hope of getting out of this with his dignity intact.

Double crap.

"Yes, I'm a secret Santa-lover. Love Christmas. And cookies and kids and toys and wrapping... paper and... there are tears and-- I'm leaving now. To go to--"

"An orphanage?" Britta drawled gleefully.

Annie and Jeff stared at her.

"I didn't mean-- orphans aren't funny." Her head dropped along with her amusement.

"Making fun of orphans, I think your trip to hell is almost complete now. Good show!" His deflecting technique only worked for a second.

"Yeah, well... you're in love with Christmas!"

Seeing the rest of the year play out before him with constant taunts from Britta, he dropped the act and smirked at her. "Actually, I have a date with this elf I met at the Christmas display in the mall." Wincing, seeing Annie's eyes harden and Britta's narrow, he barreled on, full speed ahead. "The suit's for her."

"But--"

"It's a Santa's helper suit, Britta. There are no underprivileged kids in this fantasy scenario. Just one under-dressed woman with--"

"Okay, officially grossed out now and everything has returned to normal. Thanks, Jeff, for staying completely in character." She gathered her backpack and rolled her eyes on her way out the door. "You ruin everything."

"No, that's you," he called after her, but she just flipped him off and continued out. "And you sound like Abed!" Still nothing, she didn't run back in to argue with him, and now he was alone.

Alone with Annie.

All the air seemed to have left the room with Britta. Breathing in the quiet, vacuum-stale air, he tossed Annie a look, wiping the plastered on smirk from his face. He expected disappointment and hurt and he got that and so much more. How could one face hold so many emotions?

Triple crap.

"Um--"

"I have to go, Abed's waiting for me. We carpooled." She crossed by, so close to him, but barely disturbing the air around him as she passed. He could smell her, a scent he'd never not be able to identify with Annie and sex and Christmas. "Have fun on your... date."

The last words were tossed out cheerfully and he gave a halfhearted wave like an idiot. A giant, awkward, not-sure-what-to-do-with-himself idiot.

Staring at the bag at his feet, he resisted the urge to kick it.

Inanimate objects couldn't shoulder blame.

No matter how much he wanted to assign to it. And no matter how much he felt the stupid outfit was at fault. No matter how much he couldn't not grab the bag and take it home with him. There was just no way that Santa's helper suit was going to stay at Greendale. No way in hell.

The thought of the dean wearing it for one of his festivals or dances or a book signing or whatever, made Jeff shudder.

He sighed, glancing around the empty room that they called home for a few hours a day each week. Much as he was happy to be away from Greendale, he would miss this place. And everyone in it.

Except Leonard.

Grabbing the bag, he took off down the hall after Annie.

He blamed this school for a lot of things, and this was no different. The mere fact that he was running--walking mildly quickly--to set the record straight with a woman, disturbed him. That was a lie. It would've disturbed him two and a half years ago. Maybe even last year if he were honest with himself, and he usually was.

He spotted her amid the milling students and easily closed the distance between them. Instead of saying anything, he merely kept pace for a few yards.

This honesty thing was still hard for him.

"Jeff," she said dryly, giving him a run for his money.

"Look, there's no-- I don't have a date." That was good, wasn't it? To the point, factual, and he was done. This didn't need to turn into a whole thing where they had a heart to heart and he ended up seeing yet another piece of himself that he didn't like.

He had a therapist for that.

Annie glanced at him. As looks went, it was more unreadable than he liked. "Okay."

Clearly, she thought he was amusing her. Clearly, he'd given her precedent to believe that. Womanizing, Annie-avoiding, commitment-repellent, these were just a few of the attributes he'd come to be known for. She couldn't know that he was changing, because he never let her or the others see that he was. They saw it as more of a surface thing so they didn't actually believe it.

But he was.

His therapist--

"While this was a good walk as walks go, I have to get home before..." She paused, turning to stare at him with a scrunched up face. "Wait. _Why_ are you taking it then?" The words tumbled out as if they'd just occurred to her and he wished they hadn't.

None of this was going well. His intentions were dropping fast and he scrambled to hold onto them, but they refused to be grasped in light of this new wrinkle. His plans never really went well, did they? He was great at speeches and moralizing--when it came to others--and manipulation, but his planning usually sucked.

Grabbing her arm, full of new plans and new intentions, he pulled her into the nearest empty classroom... except there were three people inside, staring at them.

"Do you mind?" he snapped, glaring their way.

"Yeah, actually."

"We do."

"Loser."

Rolling his eyes, he dragged Annie out the door and into the room across the hall. This one was empty, thankfully. Stopping just inside the doorway, he waited until the door clicked shut before turning to her. Facing her curious, but amused, eyes.

Straightening her shirtsleeve, she glanced at the clock on the wall, which only pissed him off.

Best laid plans.

"I'm taking it, Annie--" He sighed, giving up all pretense. "I'm taking it because there are some very... pleasant memories attached to the suit," he shook the bag at her, "and I can't bear to see anyone else wear it. Ever."

She gave him a little raised eyebrow with a lip twist that clearly said she was skeptical.

"But mostly because it has pleasant memories attached to it." He fought the urge to hang his head and continued to look straight at her.

The sincerity in his voice must've convinced her, because her whole expression softened and he was just sucker enough to feel his chest tighten and his stomach drop in the way that only Annie could affect him. Loser was right. What kind of a winner would actually be standing in an empty classroom of a community college with a girl too many years his junior to make him comfortable--though he was working on that--letting himself be taken in by a soft look and a smile that he felt all the way to his toes, and not lose some serious cool points?

But.

He smiled back, feeling relief pour through him. He hated having Annie upset with him. He didn't mind her being pissed at him, though it wasn't ever really pleasant, but he couldn't stand her disappointment. He didn't live his life by her approval, but she _was_ his moral compass.

"That's kind of sweet--" Her eyes widened suddenly, and she blurted out, "Are you going to... I mean, will you-- _have_ you ever--" There'd been no thought to the question and actually voicing it made a furious red blush creep up her neck and cheeks, finishing the sentence for her.

And just like that, his plans changed again.

He knew exactly what she couldn't ask.

And he'd be lying if the thought of her asking didn't stir his body into life. Not as much as her and the suit and the dancing and singing had, but, yeah, it was there, lurking. Hiding in wait.

His mood shifted.

Leaning forward, close enough to feel the heat coming off of her, he looked down at her lips, wanting nothing more than to take them with his own. That'd be too easy though, and he'd waited this long already. He could wait a little longer. So, he merely looked. And if his gaze was more heated than usual, and her breath caught, and his fingers twitched along with other parts of him, then so be it.

His voice was just a breath out, low words that brushed across her cheeks. "When you can ask the question, I'll answer it." Feeling her breath on his jaw as she looked up at him, feeling himself swimming in the heat and the softness and the scent of her, he resisted the urge to throw his plans in the trash for a third time. "See you after Christmas break." It took everything in him to turn around and open the door when all he wanted to do was drop the bag and touch her everywhere.

"Wait, I--"

Anticipation fueled a lot of what Jeff did. It was his lifeblood in so many ways. The foods he ate, the women he dated, what the future held for him; all of them were fueled by anticipation in one way or another. Rarely did it physically hurt him.

Right now, waiting for Annie's words to come out, even though she was clearly scandalized and embarrassed, he felt his chest thump painfully and his palms begin to sweat.

The way his pulse pounded, he felt like he'd done a good five miles around town.

He waited, hand on the doorknob, hoping she got the words out, but equally hoping she didn't.

He had plans.

"Are you-- have you...?" Instead of getting the words out, she groaned in disgust--at herself or at him?--and then sighed. "See you after the break, Jeff."

Instead of feeling disappointment at her inability to ask the question, his lips curved up and he pulled the door open, leaving Annie and the school behind.

Plan? Neatly in place.

Anticipation? Off the charts.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie tries to work up the nerve to ask the question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Author:** sinecure  
>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own Community and I make no money from it.  
>  **Spoilers:** 3x10 (X-mas episode)  
>  **A/N:** The second part turned out so big that I'm not sure it'd fit in an LJ post, so, I'm splitting it up, though not evenly, so be prepared for a big 3rd chapter soon..  
> 

Anticipation, for Annie, ranged in degrees. She allowed herself to feel a certain level of anticipation for each thing she looked forward to. Classes rated pretty high, though she'd learned to dial it back a bit since it was just Greendale. If she'd learned anything there, it was that her expectations were too high.

Seeing her friends rated high as well, though that rarely needed to be toned down, because she loved them all and they never disappointed.

Well.

Okay, they did, but she didn't let it get her down.

Anticipating a date or a movie or a night out with Britta and Shirley had their own scales that rarely tipped lower or higher than one another. The dates she'd been out on lately could be summed up in two words; not happening.

The movies she watched with Troy and Abed always brought fun, no matter how many stupid, cheesy Kickpuncher sequels there were. It was always fun. And the mock fights they staged afterward usually broke an item or two, but she was so loose about it now that it didn't bother her much anymore.

Usually.

Well, sometimes.

She kept her more precious items tucked away on those nights, and had a strict 'no Kickpunching in Annie's room' rule. There was even a hand-drawn sign on the door with pink and purple hearts and a single gold star.

Going out with Britta and Shirley always left her exhausted and smiling. Britta was fun when she was buzzed, but not drunk, and Shirley giggled with Annie, gossiping with her while Britta regaled the nearest strangers of the dangers of using too much toilet paper. The forests, guys. The forests!

But, nothing could top the anticipation Annie felt tonight.

Rarely had she felt the pulse-pounding, gut-gripping fear and expectation that one single text message could bring her. The possibility of getting into CU was right up there, growing closer to Troy in their first year at Greendale, and then Jeff kissing her back after the Transfer Dance. Those were all close.

Finger hovering over the Send button on her phone, Annie bit her lip.

Troy and Abed were watching something by John Hughes again, playing out each part and saying each line in their blanket fort room, while she lay in bed, one arm behind her head, thumb pressing lightly on her phone.

She read the text again.

Then once more.

And then a third time.

Sighing, she dropped her head back and stared at the ceiling. No matter how many times she read it, the text didn't sound any better. In fact, it was beginning to sound silly. She could imagine Jeff reading it and snorting out a sound somewhere between a scoff and a sneer.

Did sneers make sounds?

Rolling her eyes, she held the phone up to eye level. The backlight had gone out, but her text message was still there, waiting patiently like a dog for its master to send it fetching.

 _Are you planning on masturbating to the Santa's helper outfit?_

Ugh!

It really didn't sound right no matter how she phrased it. This was the first message she'd written, then erased, then written ten more of, all of which were some variation on the original. Then she'd just gone back to the original.

It still sounded stupid. And arrogant.

Would he actually read that message and think she was adult enough to ask it?

The problem was, Annie really wanted to know the answer. As embarrassed and scandalized as the question made her, the not knowing was killing her. The way he'd looked at her, eyes dropping to her lips, the low, husky sound of his voice, the warmth pouring off of him as he told her that if she could ask the question, then he'd answer it, played over and over in her mind.  
Something had come over him suddenly, and it didn't feel like the usual near-kiss, awkward shared look, move in to hug, stop, shake hands, pat her on the head, call her kiddo type of thing. Not this time.

Tonight, even after the ridiculous song and dance she'd done for him in that outfit, she'd felt like everything had gone back to normal. They'd all said and done things they normally wouldn't have... like make a fool of themselves in front of the one person it mattered more than anything not to do that in front of.

She'd thought it'd be awkward like it always was for a while after an intimate moment between them. But it hadn't been.

Until she saw the outfit in his bag and she found out he was taking it home. Until he told her the reasons.

Until he stared longingly, hungrily, at her lips and teased her about a question she couldn't ask and wanted to know so dang badly!

If he was planning on... masturbating to the outfit-- and even now, in her own mind, the question sounded stupid and self-centered, she wanted to know. Just because she'd done that to thoughts of him, didn't mean he had to thoughts of her. Or would. Or planned to.

Had it even occurred to him to do it?

Eyes drifting to her closet and the locked box she knew sat on the top shelf, she wished she still lived alone. Or at the very least, that Troy and Abed would be gone for a while.

Mr. Winger was getting very little use of late.

Groaning at her thoughts, she sat up and crossed her legs on the bed, hitting the delete button. Fingers moving quickly over the keypad, she typed out another message.

 _Jeff._

She hit send, hoping to force herself into the conversation she was avoiding. Hoping he'd push her to ask the question, and that her nerves would step up in the clinch.

A minute later, her phone buzzed.

There was that anticipation again, but she didn't let herself drag it out. She clicked the View button.

 _Annie._

Dropping to the bed, she sighed heavily. This wasn't going to be easy. He was going to make her ask, and he wasn't going to help in the slightest. Jerk.

While she was contemplating what to follow up with, her phone buzzed again.

 _Something on your mind?_

Hmph. Well, two could play at that game. Maybe he felt the same anticipation she did. Maybe the teasing was fun for him. Probably not, but she wanted to think it was. The teasing, for her, was yet another thing she anticipated daily. The only foreplay she'd ever had was a ridiculously short amount during the loss of her virginity, and her own hands late at night.

Eyes drifting to the closet again, she typed back a quick, _Maybe._.

Seconds later, her phone buzzed. Obviously she had his full attention, because his responses were so quick. Which emboldened her, but not to the point of being able to type out the question again.

 _Do tell._ And then. _I'm all ears._

No, you're all forehead, she wanted to snark back, but she knew how sensitive he was about it, so she stilled her fingers. Besides, it would kill the mood, and possibly shut him down. Instead, she fiddled with the keypad, typing out her original question before quickly deleting it again.

It pained her to admit defeat so soon, but she couldn't think of anything teasing to say back because her nerves were close to shot.

 _...I can't._

A minute later, just when she was beginning to wonder if he'd lost interest, her phone buzzed. _Good. I've decided that it needs to be asked in person._

 _Not fair!_ she texted back without thinking, and could almost hear his laughter.

There was no way she'd be able to ask him in person. No way in hell. Her face was flaming right now just texting around the subject. They both knew what she wanted to know, and him knowing that she wanted to know was bad enough, but having to ask him, face to face? That was too much.

But, didn't him wanting her to ask mean that he wanted her to ask him for a reason?

Maybe.

It didn't matter though. It wasn't ever going to happen. She could barely bring herself to think the words or type them, let alone shape them into words and speak them into the air between them. She tried, opening her mouth to say them, but all that came out was a pathetic squeak of embarrassment.

Despondent, she texted a goodnight, but her phone buzzed before she could send it. She stared at the display, eyes wide.

Jeff was calling her.

She considered ignoring it and going to bed, but he knew she was there, knew she was awake, and there was a part of her that still wanted to take this a step further, even if the rest of her had to go kicking and screaming.

That small part of her pressed the button and put the phone to her ear. Her entire body flushed hot in anticipation and fear. "Hi." Her voice came out less butterfly-y than about to be sick to her stomach.

"It's just a simple question, Annie. Do you need to buy a vowel?"

Rolling her eyes, she played with her hair, staring at the ceiling. "Maybe it's simple for you, but... I don't think it's ever going to happen. I _can't_ ask you that." Sighing heavily over the line, she cursed her fearfulness. "Let's just drop it."

He was silent for a few seconds, just long enough for her to wonder if she'd lost the connection. "Of course you can, Annie." The words were low, husky. Unintentionally sexy? "But if you really can't and you really want me to drop it, then tell me now. Because, if that's what you want? I'll let it go."

Something in his voice, almost a dare, pushed her that little bit she'd wanted it to push her in a text, but she still wasn't able to ask the question yet. So, she asked another. "Is this a game to you?" She didn't want to think he was playing with her, but the possibility was there. Who was to say any of this was going anywhere? _They_ never went anywhere. They were the same stagnant people they'd been since their first shared moment during their first year at Greendale.

So, his answer did, and didn't, come as a shock.

"Yes."

Feeling as if he'd punched her in the gut, she rolled onto her side with a sharp exhale. "Oh."

"One we both want to win. Trust me."

She shivered, partially soothed by the promise in his tone and the words in her ear.

"My therapist has been urging me to take all the things I've been denying myself for so long and indulge in them without worrying about the consequences." He paused, and she could almost hear any hesitation he had falling away. "So, I'm taking."

She stared at the far wall, frowning. Shocked. Jeff didn't... with her. Not if he could help it. What was going on here? Had his therapist actually encouraged him to pursue Annie?

She wanted to thank her or him.

"Of course," he continued with a chuckle, "she was talking about all the foods I deny myself. But I've decided to stop pretending that I don't want you. So, ask me what you want to know."

Shocked at his confession, she sat up slowly, staring at herself in the mirror across from her. She didn't look any different, except for the startled excitement in her eyes and the slight curve of her lips. "But... why not just, ya know, ask me out or something?"

"Uh, because that'd be too easy? After all this time, everything that's led up to this point, you don't just ask the girl out on a date. So, when you can get that question out--"

"But that could be never!" Gah! She wanted him to just ask her out and then they could go to dinner at a nice restaurant, then take a walk in the cool night air, arm in arm, talking about everything and nothing. She'd laugh at his jokes and he'd smile at her and tease her, and kiss her so softly with his warm lips.

She could almost feel the tickle of his breath on her cheek, the rough stubble on his jaw.

He'd whisper 'milady' and they'd share a smile as she answered with 'milord'.

Lifting her hand, she brushed her cheek, imagining him caressing her and holding her still for another kiss as he trailed a path down her jaw and neck, then lower, to her chest, where he'd slowly press her blouse up and expose her to his rapt gaze.

"...Annie?"

Shaking herself, she swallowed back the lust rising in her. Stupid, pathetic fantasies. Ridiculous, girlish fantasies.

Steeling herself, she straightened her shoulders and stared back at her reflection. "Jeff, have you ever mas--" She blushed hotly, seeing the red rise on her chest, neck, and face like Jeff's imaginary kisses. No matter how much she wanted to ask the damn question, she could. Not. Do it.

"No. This doesn't work for me either." She felt her heart freeze for a second before he continued. "It needs to be face to face."

Relief poured through her, followed almost immediately by gloominess.

"But," she mumbled, sagging against the wall behind her bed. A long sigh left her along with her anticipation and expectations. "I'm sorry, Jeff. I can't do it. I mean, just the sheer egotistical quality of the question is enough to make me squirm, but the actual question itself? I-- I can't. Maybe you should find someone who can."

With that, feeling like the giant coward she was, she hung up and shut off her phone.

"Coward." Feeling like that wasn't enough, she yanked her drawer open and shoved her phone inside, then slammed the drawer shut. "Pathetic, whiny, stupid coward. You can't even say penis without blushing. _And_ you've never even seen one in action. Not a real one. Fake mannequin penises--peni?--don't count." She sent her mind back to Jeff playing pool in the buff. Jeff's naked body. He definitely had a nice body.

So nice.

Dropping to her bed with a bounce, she grabbed a pillow and hugged it tightly to her. "Jeff wants someone who can say that stuff and who wants to do that stuff. Long walks after dinner and soft kisses? Only in a cheesy romance novel."

"Annie? Are you all right in there, 'cause it sounds like you're having some sexy alone time, but I just want to make sure you're not, like, bleeding on the floor or something."

Cringing at Troy's question, she sat up. "I'm fine. I was talking to Jeff. He annoyed me." And made her feel exactly like the kid she was trying desperately not to be.

"Okay, that'd be why he texted me and Abed to check up on you."

Like she was a little kid who needed babysitting. Whatever!

Getting up, she crossed to her closet. Mr. Winger was going to stay right where he was for the time being, but she was leaving. She had to get out of there. Tossing on some clothes, she looked around her girly room. Wow. Had it always been this... pink and sparkly? But she liked sparkly! And pink!

And if that wasn't good enough for Jeff, then... then... she was too good for him!

She grabbed her phone, not feeling right leaving without it, then yanked her door open, pushing past a startled Troy and Abed. "I'm going out."

"Yeah... he said--"

Spinning on them, she waved her keys their way. "Jeff doesn't know me! And he's stupid anyway. He's-- he's like someone who... wants people to be one way until he decides he wants them to be another way, and then he demands they change and makes them feel stupid if they don't, and I don't care. _He's_ stupid."

Very mature.

Snarling, she left them behind, slamming the door in her wake.

Stupid Jeff. Making everything between them contingent on his say so. Like he was the only one who could make up ground rules. She could too if she wanted.

Maybe she'd make him tell her he was a little teapot, short and stout. In person. Face to face.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Annie confronts Jeff and smut ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Author:** sinecure  
>  **Disclaimer:** I don't own Community and I make no money from it.  
>  **Spoilers:** 3x10 (X-mas episode)  
>  **A/N:** Well, here it is, for better or worse, chapter 3. It's without betaing, so, all mistakes are mine. I hope you enjoy it. :)  
> 

Staring at Jeff's apartment building, Annie told herself she'd go in there, knock on his door and give him a piece of her mind. Dictating everything. He was just rude. She gathered her courage tighter around her and went inside. She very firmly knocked on his door, glaring at it, ready for when he opened it.

She was going to lay into him and teach him a thing or two about Annie Edison.

Limbering herself up, she stretched her neck and waited. Stupid ass.

Ooo. She'd cussed.

Heh.

He was. Jeff was an ass.

She grinned, feeling good. Stronger than she had in a while. It might've been the two beers she'd had in the bar across the street before jumping back into her car and almost driving home.

Maybe she shouldn't have kept Caroline Decker's ID.

Or it might've been the shot of whiskey, which was the reason she hadn't driven home. Safety first.

And besides, Jeff Winger needed to be taught a lesson. And she was here to teach him that lesson. With her tongue sharpened and ready. Just as soon as he opened the door.

She shifted, shaking off more of the tenseness gathering in her shoulders. "Come on, Jeff. Open the door and--"

The door swung open and a sleepy Jeff stood in the doorway with nothing on but his usual striped underwear and each and every single thought she'd ever had in her life flew out the window.

"Annie." He covered his mouth for a slow yawn. "What are you doing here?"

"Ass."

Jeff blinked at her, blank look turning to amusement. "Are you calling me one, did you want to see mine, or is this what the kids call a booty call... back in 1995?"

"You're an ass," she told him, pointing at his stupid, perfect chest. All... hard and muscle-y. With his regular-sized nipples and tanned skin and the small creases from where he'd lain in bed and his stupid messed up hair and sleepy eyes. "You are a super, huge, unappealing ass."

"You had me until that last part. I mean, come on." He motioned to himself with a smile that didn't even need to be a smirk; it was just implied and it worked.

Ugh.

Smacking him on the chest, she sneered at him. "Please."

Instead of stopping the smile-that-wasn't-a-smirk, it actually seemed to rise as he looked down at her hand, and then back at her face.

She followed his gaze, and then jerked her hand free from where she'd been petting him. Oh, god. And her voice, she realized. She hadn't been scoffing. She'd been begging.

Oh, _god_.

"I'm drunk," she told him, grabbing onto the partial lie as an excuse. "I had a beer and a shot of whiskey, and then another beer." Or, maybe it wasn't that much of a lie.

"Liquid courage? That's not like you, Annie." He pulled her inside and it didn't even occur to her to stop him until she was in and the door was shut. It clicked closed like a final nail in her drunken coffin. He'd be all smug and smirk-y and take control and tease her and make her feel like a kid and she'd blush and hem and haw and-- no!

Not this time.

Teapot. Make him say the teapot thing.

"Have you ever masturbated to thoughts of me?"

She slapped her hands over her mouth and stared at him, wide-eyed. That wasn't the teapot thing! She hadn't even thought about... that. Saying that. Not a single thought about those words had come to her before they were out and now he was looking at her intently and-- wait. That wasn't the look men gave little girls unless they were pedophiles. Definitely not the way Jeff looked at her when they were around others.

Or alone.

Or ever.

His eyes grew darker, the lids lowering. He leaned toward her, hand brushing her hair behind her shoulder, lips by her ear. "Yes." The word was low, growled out in a tone she'd never heard from him and it made her heart pound and her head spin. She felt a little faint, but excited.

Feeling bolder, she moved closer. "Did you take the Santa's helper suit because you wanted to--"

"Yes."

He hadn't even let her get the question out that time.

Pulling back just enough to look up at him, she swallowed and then dropped her eyes to his lips. They were right there, so close, so inviting. Warm. And soft. But firm. Jeff had a taste to him that she couldn't place; coffee and cream, with just a hint of a scent of chocolate.

Instead of kissing him, she moved closer still, chest-to-chest. "Did you masturbate tonight?"

Amazed that she didn't hyperventilate at the questions pouring from her lips, she ducked her head, pressing her cheek against his warm chest. It was so firm and smooth.

She felt his tongue against the shell of her ear as he licked his lips, heard his breath catch as his hand moved from her arm to the back of her head, threading through the strands. "Yes."

Her knees went weak and she had to wrap her fingers around his arms to keep herself on her feet. "Jeff," she whispered, but it came out as more of a moan and she felt him shudder around her. His hand tipped her head back and she found his mouth right there, and his lips on hers.

Warm, soft, firm, coffee and cream with chocolate.

Feeling like she needed to wake up from an erotic dream, she opened her mouth under his and breathed him in. Surrounded by Jeff; it was what she'd wanted for two years, and now, here she was, surrounding him.

She scraped her nails down his chest and heard him mutter something about plans and foreplay, but his hands wrapped around her waist and he was sliding them under her shirt. There was no tenderness and no sweet kisses like in her fantasy. Jeff's mouth took and took, giving back everything, teasing and playing and arousing.

Time suspended for a moment when she tore her mouth from his and took a step back.

He frowned for just the briefest moment before straightening up again and she felt her chest tighten at the glimpse of disappointment she'd seen. But then it was gone and he was opening his mouth to say something. Grasping her shirt at the hem, she drew it over her head, tossing it to the floor.

The smile that lit his lips and eyes, re-filling with lust and hunger, warmed her belly more than the alcohol ever could. And loosened her already partially loosened lips.

"I have a toy at home with your name on it."

He looked like he wasn't quite sure what to say to that, but then again, his smirk said it all. "And do you play with this toy a lot?" Closing the distance between them, he replaced his hands on her waist, thumbs smoothing out small circles on her skin.

"Not so much lately," she admitted, curling into his body. He was warm and hard and smooth, a contradiction to her softness. "Troy and Abed have good ears."

Jeff laughed and circled his hands around to her back, easily unfastening her plain, white bra. "I think I'd like to meet this toy."

Snorting with a sudden burst of laughter, finding his earnest words oddly funny, she pictured herself and Jeff standing side by side, examining her vibrator while she pointed out all its features. "Really?"

He slipped her bra straps off of her shoulders, drawing back to watch his work. "Uh, yeah," he scoffed as if the very idea of her questioning him was ridiculous.

Her bra dropped to the floor between them.

If she'd had any idea that she'd be doing this with him tonight, she'd have worn her black lacy bra, or the red one. Anything but the serviceable white panties and bra she'd put on that evening after her shower. Hugging her arms to her chest, she leaned against him. "I don't know; he's kind of shy."

Jeff slid a finger down her collarbone, gently taking her wrists in his hands. "He has no reason to be."

Shivering at the intensity of his gaze, she dipped her head, grateful for the curtain of hair sliding in front of her face. Her skin was flushing red despite his words. But she allowed him to move her arms aside. She could feel his gaze on her and it warmed her, making her bite her lip nervously.

"Annie..." He tipped her chin up with his finger, reminding her of Greendale and the study room and acting like a complete child because she'd lost at something.

She didn't feel like a child now, and that firmed her resolve to see this through. To be a woman, not the child she sometimes acted like. Lifting her eyes to his, she tossed her head back and lowered her hands to her jeans, unbuttoning them with quick fingers. "You want me, right?"

Stepping back, he gestured at himself, inviting her eyes to roam over every inch of his chest before lowering to the only scrap of clothing he had on, which was strained now.

Bulging.

Confirmation of his body's reaction to her.

"For longer than I'm comfortable admitting." He watched her as she nodded and stepped out of her shoes, jeans, and socks, before straightening up.

She kept her arms firmly at her sides, fingers itching to cover as much of her body as she could. She fought the urge and merely stared back at him. Her eyes might've darted down a few times, and his lips might've risen, but it was fading under something more powerful.

"I hope I'm not spoiling your game." Feeling a rush of power go through her, she tossed her hair over her shoulder and closed the distance between them. "Because I've wanted you for longer than you're comfortable hearing."

He bent down and encircled her waist as he kissed her roughly, breath harsh and ragged. "You really, really are." His mouth pulled away from hers, then returned again and again. Body pressing to hers, he let her feel every inch of him that was happy that she'd ruined his game.

A flood of moisture soaked her panties and she squirmed a little, feeling strange having Jeff there, touching and kissing her while it happened. Not to mention being naked with his body fully against hers. "Thank god," she moaned, tipping her head back as his lips trailed down her jaw and neck.

Hands grabbing him and scraping down his chest and back and pulling him to her, she fought the need to climb on top of him. Fought the desire to grind against him. She needed him between her legs, needed him inside her.

Nipping his shoulder, she boldly pressed her hand to his underwear, flashing on an image of the Sex Ed mannequin. They might not look impressive, but Jeff's felt like the only thing that mattered right now; hard, warm, and solid in her hand.

His hips jerked forward.

She tightened her fingers, grasping his... "Cock," she whispered into his ear, trying out the word, tasting it in her mouth.

As if she'd hit him with a cattle prod, he bucked wildly against her. His hands grabbed her thighs and lifted her. She wrapped her legs around him, gasping at the feel of him pressed intimately against her.

They both groaned and held still for a split second.

And then they tore at one another, sliding nails and fingers and lips and tugging, tugging, tugging on hair. Her fingers threaded through his strands as he slipped his fingers into her panties, pushing them aside. A finger slid inside her. And then the other joined the first.

Her voice left her, gasping out a high-pitched sound.

Dropping her head back, she rocked into his touch. "Jeff-- I--"

Mouth covering his, wet and sloppy in her haste to move, she rolled her hips and cupped one of her breasts, fingering the nipple.

Jeff pressed her to the door for a second, while he tipped his head to take her other nipple into his mouth. Sucking and biting on it, he stroked her folds, moistening his fingers as he went. "God, you're wet, Annie. I don't think I can do slow."

"Don't want slow." She panted into the air, staring at the ceiling before letting her eyes slide shut. "I want you inside me now, Jeff."

He didn't hesitate.

Dropping her to the floor, letting her slide down him every inch of the way, he moved in one smooth motion, hooking his hands into her panties and sliding them off, fingers skimming her skin the whole way. She stepped out of them impatiently, moving immediately back into his arms again.

"Now."

Holding her off for a second, he started to take his underwear off one handed, keeping his other hand on her, sliding it here and there. She pushed his hands away and gave him the same treatment as he'd given her. But she stopped on her knees, faced with Jeff's fully erect cock, resting near his stomach.

Folds clenching and dripping, she boldly took him in one hand and stroked the flesh a few times, marveling at the feel of it. So hard. She pressed a kiss to the underside and then the tip, watching in fascination as it twitched.

She tasted his skin and more. Moisture was leaking from him, too.

Opening her mouth, she slid him inside and glanced up. Jeff was watching her, glistening fingers sliding between his lips. She gasped at the sight, feeling something she couldn't name deep in her belly. Imitating his movements, she slid him in and out.

He sucked on his fingers, tongue sliding between them, tasting every inch covered in her moisture.

She drew him out, circled the hard flesh with her tongue, then flattened on the tip, rolling and teasing it.

"Fuck, Annie."

His legs shook.

His hand threaded into her hair.

She slid him in deeper before realizing that she was giving her first blowjob. Without a condom.

Unable to help creating suction with her mouth, she slid him in and out a few more times before forcing herself to pop him free. "Condom." Her eyes rose to his, seeing him slowly blink away the haze of lust. "We need a condom."

"I'm clean. You're on the pill." He dragged her up and kissed her messily. "You're clean, too, of course." He looked a little unsure suddenly. "You are clean, right? I mean, you're Annie Edison. Colds don't sneak up on you, you actually plan them into your schedule."

She nodded, hands finding themselves on his cock again. "I am, but--"

"In my bedroom." He lifted her up on his waist again and walked with her into his bedroom, kissing and caressing her the entire way. No part of her felt neglected.

Her hands stayed mainly on his chest and in his hair. Touching, stroking, clawing and pulling.

He stopped suddenly and then they were falling. They landed on his bed, bouncing a few times. She was on Jeff's bed. Naked. Surrounded by his scent. When he pulled away, she tightened her legs around him and clenched his biceps, bringing him back down to her. "Don't leave."

Bracing himself with his arms on either side of her, he pressed a kiss to her lips. "Condom--"

"Ugh!" Releasing him, ignoring his chuckle, she dropped bonelessly to the bed, scooting back to a more comfortable spot amongst his mussed up covers. She turned her head to watch him, inhaling deeply as she did. Musky. Had he gotten off in here? She sat up, watching him. "Is this where you did it?"

He halted his hand halfway to the bedside table, eyes darting to hers. "Yeah."

Glancing down at the gray covers, she ran her hands over them, fisting them in handfuls before bringing them up to her face to breathe them in deeply.

"Jesus, Annie." His eyes raked over her as she dropped the covers. Apparently, her enjoyment of being surrounded by him turned him on as much as the thought of him masturbating here turned her on.

Images of Jeff stroking himself came to her. To thoughts of her?

She licked her lips.

Every inch of her was exposed to him. Her inhibitions had fallen partially by the wayside in her lust. Closing her eyes, she breathed in everything about him.

"Annie." Her name was barely a whisper and when she looked at him, she saw an intensity she'd never seen before.

Sitting up on her knees, hands on her thighs, she eyed him as she bit her lip and spread her legs.

He was enraptured.

Finger slipping into her swollen folds, she gasped, feeling pleasure radiate from her clit to the rest of her body. Her breasts felt heavy, aching for his fingers or mouth. She caressed one with her free hand. "Hurry up," she murmured, moaning at her fingers' movements. In and slowly out again, rubbing her clit, then plunging deep inside with a quiet, wet sound. "Jeff..."

He groaned and grabbed a condom, tearing open the wrapper with quick fingers, eyes never leaving her.

Her body ached and burned, yearning for him and his hands and mouth and lips and tongue and-- "Ohh. Fuck..."

Tossing the condom among the sheets and blankets, he knelt on the bed before her, replacing the hand on her breast with his mouth. His lips and teeth played with the nipple of one breast, while he palmed and pinched the other. It sent shocks of pleasure down her stomach to her clit.

"You have a filthy mouth when you're turned on." His fingers replaced hers, taking over every aspect of what she'd been doing to herself. He pressed her back, forcing her body to arch like a bow bent to release. "I like it."

Catching herself with her hands behind her, she dropped her head back and closed her eyes. Just feeling. Feeling. Every touch, every lick, every sound he made. It swept through her. Enveloped her.

Wrapped her tightly in a coil of ecstasy.

"So beautiful." He kissed her wetly, hungrily, then groaned. "So tight." His fingers thrust into her with a pace that she caught onto quickly; she rolled her hips in rhythm. "Remind me never to wait this long again."

She grabbed his face and kissed him back, taking and taking. Hips rocking forward, she listened to their combined sounds, hearing a beautiful, harsh soundtrack. Disjointed, discordant, dissonant. Them.

His teeth pulled on her nipple as she lowered her hand to his cock. The word was like an old friend now.

The first brush of her curled fingers had him gasping and stilling.

The second made him breathe out.

The third forced his pace off and made her work harder to find the pleasure he'd been giving her.

Skilled, but human.

"I think maybe waiting made it better," she moaned.

"No doubt about it. But don't get used to it." A promise that they'd be doing this again.

She chuckled, squeezing his erection. "Awfully cocky aren't you?"

"Awfully," he agreed.

Spreading her legs, she grabbed his hand and moved it like she wanted him to, stroking him as she did. It was awkward, but satisfying, but not enough.

Jeff sensed that, or felt the same, because, hands working with lightning speed, he grabbed the condom, rolled it on and then lifted her up, positioning his cock beneath her. Eyes steady on hers, he waited for a protest or an objection, something that might keep them from completing only the best thing she'd ever had.

Was finally having.

Jeff might be afraid of his feelings for her, but she wasn't.

Firmly kissing him, she reached down, wrapping her hand over his to hold him still as she lowered herself on him. A hiss left her at the pressure of his thickness opening her up.

Feeling her tense up, he rested his forehead on hers, panting harshly as he tried to control himself. His hands slid under her ass, stopping her, holding her still. "Slow."

She breathed in. Then exhaled slowly, lowering herself a little more. It was still uncomfortable, but it wasn't unbearable, so she pressed a little further. She wanted to say something clever and amusing to ease the tension springing up in her body, but her mind was going blank.

"Annie..." His hands slid up, making sure she didn't plunge down on him before moving up to her hips, smoothing and caressing her skin. "I thought you had a toy--"

"Yeah," she breathed, a throaty chuckle leaving her. "It's been a while. And I didn't really use it for, um--"

"Penetration?"

She nodded, forehead still pressed to his. "Mostly I just--" She grabbed his hand and lowered it to her clit, rubbing with his fingers. "It's quick."

"But you and Vaughn...?"

"God, Jeff! We-- no. He wanted to go slowly, and we just never really got around to getting past the slowly part." She inhaled deeply, trying to ease her newly tensed body. "And, can we not talk about Vaughn right now?"

"Gladly." He chuckled thickly, lips pressing gently to her cheek. "We can try another position if you want."

She shook her head, biting her lip. "It's not so bad." That wasn't a lie, but it wasn't quite the truth either. She rose up a little, feeling immediate relief, but didn't let herself enjoy it. She pressed back down again, enveloping another inch of him inside her.

His hands slid up her back, rubbing circles. Hips rocking in small movements, he pressed a kiss to her lips. His cock slid in and out, lubing itself, making it easier for her to slide down him.

With each successive roll of his hips, he slid in further.

The ache was beginning to fade, even more so when he dropped his thumb back to her clit and began to rub in gentle circles.

"Jeff." Taking his face in her hands, feeling the scruff under her palms, she kissed him, then pulled back with a low groan as pleasure began to build again. A moan left her along with his name.

He pushed all the way in, forcing her open, and she gasped in pain. Not quite pain. Discomfort. Quickly fading discomfort. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?" Another kiss. And another. "I didn't mean t-- I couldn't help it. Your voice--"

"I'm... good. Better than good. Quickly moving up to fantastically pleasant." Grinning against his lips, she slid on him experimentally. She still felt a little too filled, but pleasure was beginning to radiate outward from her folds and clit, enveloping the rest of her body.

He kissed her forehead and repeatedly threaded his hands through the hair at her temples. The look on his face was so tender that it hurt her heart and tightened her chest. She loved him, and, seeing that look on his face, she thought maybe he cared about her too.

He moved inside her and she hissed at the pleasure enveloping her. Clutching at his shoulders, she awkwardly tried to set up a rhythm, a pace.

It wasn't working.

Jeff grabbed her ass and helped her. "You feel so fucking good," he mumbled, thumb brushing over her clit. "Hot and wet. So tight." He sucked in a breath as her muscles squeezed his cock, his ramblings turning filthier and filthier. "My hands are a poor substitute to being inside you, Annie. The Santa's helper suit-- I came so hard. Thinking about you." He thrust harder, words seeming to push him on. "Thinking about your wet, tight body fucking my cock. Just like this."

Instead of turning her off... he was actually turning her on.

A lot.

She wanted to return the favor, but it was difficult to think of things to say when she just wanted to feel. "Wish I'd been here to watch." Lips near his ear, she whispered to him in a low voice, words trailing out one after another with no thought, just feelings. "You have no idea how wet I get. In the study room, in class... whenever I think about you."

She wanted to please him, but she wasn't sure if she was doing it right. Was there a right way?

Judging from the dark, heavy-lidded look he sent her as his lips caught hers again, she'd say yes. The kiss was hard, almost punishing.

Tearing her mouth from his, she rode him a little faster, feeling her breasts bounce, seeing his eyes drop to them. One hand cupped them and squeezed and pinched. She gasped, feeling a jolt of pleasure go through her. "Jeff!" She fought to get the words out, on a mission now to make him feel half as good as she did, but it was hard to concentrate. "My fingers, I--"

Lips suckling on one breast, he palmed the other. "Tell me about your fingers, Annie. I want to hear about what your fingers do at night." His voice with thick with lust and need.

There was a fluttering in her belly.

Electricity.

It was all around her. In her. Jeff was in her. The dirty fell from her lips now, as if it didn't want to stop. As if it never would. "Not just nights... mornings. Sometimes I-- oh, god, faster, Jeff! Fast-- like that." She swallowed thickly, past one moan after another. "Sometimes, I go home for lunch just to get off quickly. I use my vibrator on my clit, imagining you there. I always want you so badly. You look at me and I want to come." He lost his pace for a moment before regaining it. "I use my fingers because I can't use Mr. Winger anymore unless I'm alone."

He huffed out a laugh and raised his head, eyes shining with mirth. "You weren't kidding when you said you had a toy with my name on it. That's... aside from it being entirely awesome..." He swallowed, laughter fading some. "I really want to meet this toy of yours. I want to watch you play with it."

The words were almost growled out.

She whimpered, imagining Jeff watching her slide Mr. Winger in and out of her folds, husking out orders in that same tone of voice. Her hips bucked at the thought. Burning warmth rushed through her veins, filling her with molasses and honey, melting her to the point of a soggy puddle of sensations. "I _want_ you to watch."

"I wanna use it on you, too." His voice was with thick and rich, husky with lust, something more than _this_. Eagerness and anticipation beyond the now. Lying back on the bed, he thrust up into her, hands sliding down to her hips, guiding her. "You got off thinking about me?"

She bit her lip, nodding because words wouldn't come, but she was about to. Hand trailing along his balls, feeling his wet cock slide in and out with a brush of her fingers, she watched him undulate under her. It was about the sexiest thing she'd ever seen. "You're--"

Darting up for a quick kiss, then bringing her back down to him as he lay back again, he cupped the back of her head and fingered her breasts. "What?"

Though she was writhing on top of him, nails digging into his shoulders, she felt her skin flush hotly. "I... you're beautiful." The words felt silly and ineffectual in the heat of the lust-filled room, but Jeff didn't laugh. He didn't brush it off as something due him, or make a vanity-filled joke.

He slowed his movements, brought her down for a kiss, but didn't quite press his lips to hers. "Annie." Hot breath bursting over hers, he held them like that, eyes intent on hers. Her hair fell around them, curtaining them off from the outside world while streaks of light shone through the moving strands. "I can't hold a candle to you. You're beautiful in every way."

Something shifted.

It wasn't just lust and need and want anymore. There was a fluidity of revolving emotions. Lust, gentleness. Need, desire. Want, sweetness. Aching, hunger, longing, craving... mixed with tenderness. Mixed with the gentle rock of his movements in and out.

It was intense, and it was taking over everything in her. She loved him, there was no doubt in her mind about that, but she didn't want him to know it. Didn't want Jeff to have that power.

She trusted him with her body, but not her heart.

Ducking her head, she rested on his chest, using her knees to move on him.

Just her body for now.

"Fuck me hard, Jeff."

He went still, holding her hips, running his palms down her thighs. "What--"

"I just need to come. Please. I can beg if you want me to." She was prepared to beg and plead and take control, but her legs were getting tired and she didn't feel comfortable enough in this position to take charge. "Please, Jeff, please. Make me come hard and fast. You feel so good inside me, I never want it to stop."

A contradiction in needs, but she didn't think he cared all that much.

He rolled them over until he was above her, hovering there with a searching look. She wasn't sure what he found, but she didn't think it was what he wanted. "Well, I'm an expert at that, aren't I?" he finally said and there was a slight nastiness to his tone, forcing her to look away from him before she confessed all. "I can more than make you come. I can make you scream."

The words sounded hollow, as if he was reading from a script, but she didn't care. "Make me scream," she pleaded, hooking her legs around his thighs. "I've only come from my fingers and Mr. Wi-- my vibrator."

"Look at me." He forced her face in front, making her eyes slide back to his while he held her still. "What happened? Is this all you want? A good fuck?" Sliding into her, he buried his cock deep.

She tingled and throbbed with so much need that she wanted to sob. "Yes!" It wasn't _all_ she wanted, of course. Not all. But she did want it. She wanted his cock to move quickly, she wanted to clench tight around him, and feel his hot breath bursting across her face.

She wanted Jeff to love her like she loved him.

Instead of giving in, she stubbornly stared him down. Slid a hand down his chest, scraping with her nails. "Just make me come."

His mouth tightened, and his voice came out stiff. "At your service, milady." He slid out of her, making her cry out at the loss.

"What--"

Crawling down the bed, he spread her thighs, fingers digging into her flesh, nails scraping her tender skin. Pain blossomed, then faded away. His eyes stayed on hers while he lowered his mouth to her folds.

She gasped and arched up, feeling the tingling and electricity multiply. The first touch of his tongue sliding into her made her buck up. The first flick of his tongue on her clit made her fingers desperately grasp the sheets. The first slide of his fingers into her folds, his tongue and teeth all going to work on her at once, made her shudder.

Sweat gathered on her heated skin. So hot.

In her. Fingering her. Licking her.

Tongue and teeth and fingers and-- he was sucking! Oh... oh, god!

"Jeff! Oh, god, Jeff, I'm close-- close to coming. Almost there!" The words were shouted in desperation as she strived for orgasm, reaching fervently for it. "Your tongue... lick... use your-- yeah, faster!"

His head raised just enough for him to watch her again. Eyes fully on hers, he licked her clit as she'd ordered. Then sucked on it, drawing it into his mouth again and again. Then teased it with his tongue again before flicking it. Licking inside. "Scream, Annie."

It wasn't a stretch that she would scream when she came.

In fact, she knew she would unless she stuffed a pillow into her mouth. "More. Mmm-- like that... oh, god. Oh! God, Jeff! Please, please... Jeff!" The pleasure bounding through her body focused on her clit, narrowing it all down to one little spot. The tiny bundle of nerves that Jeff was paying so much attention to.

Reluctantly.

But that didn't stop her from feeling each and every lick and taste he took of her. Lapping at her like a cat with a bowl of milk, he dug his thumbs harder into her thighs. Spread her open further. "Come, Annie."

"I'm co-- I'm coming," she screamed, arching her hips up, hovering in mid air for a moment, suspended and dangling as wave after wave of pleasure rushed through her. Drawing her in, drowning her in its wake. Burying her face in his sheets, she breathed him in. Her hips bucked wildly under his hands, but she couldn't control them. They rose and fell again and again, rocking and thrusting, seeking and searching.

Wanting more of Jeff.

She wanted him in her.

Clawing at his shoulders, she drew him up, pulling him on top of her. Hand reaching between them, she grasped his cock and raised her legs on either side of him, sliding him in with another sound that echoed off the walls.

Jeff buried himself deep inside her as she throbbed and throbbed. Aching and increasingly satiated. Her body still rocked, still thrust her hips into his and she saw him shudder out a breath and felt him begin to move.

Not just move. But pound into her.

He drove into her with a grunt followed by another grunt until he was letting out grunts with each thrust. His hips pushed against her, driving her back a little.

Wrapping her legs around him again, she rocked and squeezed, helping him along. His eyes lost focus. He turned his head to the side. She clawed his back, forcing him to feel her, needing him to feel her. She was here, beneath him. Loving him.

Shoving her feelings aside as they threatened to overwhelm her, she concentrated on Jeff. Only Jeff.

"Come," she muttered, mouth by his ear. Stroking her hand down the back of his hair and neck, she clenched and fluttered around him again and again. His eyes stayed on the pillow by her head, her breasts, everywhere but on her face. She deserved that. Turning her own head to the side, she watched the straining muscles in his forearm, saw rivulets of sweat run down.

Felt him tensing over her.

His breathing sped up even more, bursting out in gusts that stirred the hair at her temples. He smelled so good and beautiful and musky.

Seeing him grit his teeth and bare his neck, straining hard, she rocked harder. Faster. Squeezed him tighter. "Jeff," she husked out in a long exhale.

"Annie-- oh, fuck!" The guttural tone of his voice made her whole body clench in response. He thrust into her, hips driving forward, freezing, then doing it again. She felt his cock twitch and jerk, then spasm as he buried himself in her one last time.

Back arched, arms straining, he bucked into her with wildly jerking hips as he came.

She wanted to come with him, to feel him come at the same time she did, to feel her thrusts of desperation meet his. But--

Sliding her hand down to her clit, she rubbed quickly, but knew it wasn't going to happen. It was too far off.

Next time.

Would there be a next time?

Smoothing her hands down his neck and shoulders, she urged him down. His straining arms shook, then gave way. He collapsed on her, heavy, sticky body weighing her down. She didn't mind. In fact, she kind of liked it. His cock slowly softened in her as his breath burst over her shoulder, and she wouldn't have had it any other way.

"I'm sorry," she finally whispered, feeling like she'd ruined everything. "I-- I just-- I panicked. I didn't want you to know--"

He pressed a kiss to her shoulder. "I do know."

Covering her eyes with her hands, she breathed in a shaky breath. "I didn't want this to be about... that."

"Annie." He waited until she peeked through her fingers at him before lifting his head just enough to look at her. Then he rolled off, dropping heavily on his back, still half on her. "It was always about that. It's always going to be about that."

About _that_. _Her_ that, not his that. Not their that.

Humiliated, she closed her eyes again.

"That's why I resisted this. A lot of that can ruin this." He pulled her hand from her face, holding it in his. "And I really didn't want to ruin this."

"Okay, so." She drew in a deep breath and then let it out. "Should we just pretend that _that_ doesn't exist and just keep doing this?" Her lips twitched in amusement. She felt like they were talking in code. Rolling over, she curled into his side. "I love you, Jeff, and there's no getting around that."

He sat up quickly, staring at her with a wide-eyed, glazed over look. "What? That's the that you were talking about? Lo-- I thought we were talking about--"

"Oh, my god!" She sprang up, grabbing the nearest blanket or sheet or anything to cover herself with. "I thought we were... oh, god." Embarrassment swamped her, and she could feel her face flaming. Panic caused her heart to double its beat and--

Jeff's lips twitched.

\--and... and.

He let out a laugh and grabbed her, pulling her back down beside him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I couldn't help it."

Staring at him for a full ten seconds, she felt her pulse slow a little, saw his mouth curving up even more and then smacked his chest a few times. "You ass--"

"We've already established that."

"--hole. That wasn't funny! I..." She relaxed beside him, loosening her death grip on the covers. "I know you don't feel the same, but that was just mean."

He went still. Fell silent, even his breathing.

Then.

"Who says I don't?"

She sat up part way, happy that the sheet loosely covered her, because she wasn't as uninhibited now that the lust had been satiated. "You..." Thinking he was playing with her again, she shook her head. "No, you don't."

He gazed back, calmly, steadily.

"Jeff, you can't!"

"I can't?" he laughed sitting up, mirroring her position.

"No! Because you don't believe in love."

"I've got a therapist now who's constantly telling me that I lie to myself. Just a--" He sat up, swinging his legs off the bed. Carefully pulling off the condom, he tossed it into a trashcan beside the nightstand before settling back against the headboard. He draped the covers over himself and patted the spot beside him.

She sat next to him, but kept her distance.

"I don't bite _after_ sex."

It wasn't that she didn't want to curl up next to him. She really, really did. But she didn't want to cuddle with him while they had this discussion. It would be too intimate when she needed to keep a level head. She wanted to be cuddly and lovey-dovey, but this was Jeff; it'd taken him two years and a therapist to realize there was nothing wrong with them being together.

He pulled the covers over her, giving her as much as she wanted. She drew it up to her chest, then turned to face him.

"I love you. Apparently, that's no secret. So, that's out there, and... I'm okay with it." His skeptical look called 'liar' on her trembling voice. "All right. It scares me! I'm terrified right now, Jeff, because you're not exactly Mr. Feelings and Sir Shares-A-Lot."

"I share! Last Valentine's Day? My text to the group?"

She smiled in remembrance. The text was still on her phone and whenever she felt overwhelmed by Jeff's jerkiness, she re-read it to remind herself that he wasn't all bad.

That he had some good points.

"True. But loving a group of friends is different from loving one person. Or... or being in love."

He didn't dispute the facts, which made her a little sad. Hand reaching for hers from where it rested on the bed between them, he threaded their fingers together. The fluffy feelings rising in her chest couldn't be contained, but the adoration in her eyes was somewhat restrained. "I... care about you, Annie. You know that."

She nodded.

"Is it that much of a stretch to believe that I-- that--" He rubbed his face with his hands. "Dr. Matala and I were going to work on this over the break. You sped up my schedule." Dropping his hands, he turned to face her. Silently. Then. "I love."

Annie waited expectantly for him to finish that sentence, but since he was watching her just as expectantly, she figured he was done.

"Ohh, please! Biggest copout ever."

"It's not a copout. I really do." He kissed her slowly, lips and tongue occupying them for a minute. Pulling back lazily, he opened his mouth to say something, then shut it again and pressed his lips to hers, not taking it any further. He pulled away again with a small kiss followed by another. "You."

Eyeing him balefully, she started to chastise him, but then held up a finger, grabbed the sheet, hopped out of bed, wrapping the gray material around her--it smelled like him and her and them but mostly him--and left his room. She dug her phone out of her jean pocket, seeing Jeff quickly getting out of bed to follow her.

Grinning, she dropped onto his couch, tucking her legs underneath her. Yanking the end of the sheet out from under her, she brought up Jeff's number, typed, then pressed send.

 _Jeff._

"Annie. What're you--"

His phone buzzed and he tilted his head at her. Her smile couldn't be contained.

Looking bewildered, he stared at her from the doorway, fully naked, and absolutely unashamed and uninhibited-- with good reason, god, he was hot. After a second, he chuckled and crossed over to her, sitting on the opposite end of the couch. He made a big show of grabbing his phone from the table and thumbing through it.

Lips quirking, he read her text, then typed something back. Short and quick.

He ignored her while he waited, pretending everything around him was the most interesting thing in the world.

Something in her grew warm. The fuzziness wrapped around her and she felt a little better about telling him she loved him. Maybe she couldn't completely trust him with her heart yet, but maybe she could.

Her phone buzzed.

 _Annie._

Teasing Jeff and being teased by him was a highlight of her day. The anticipation of it filled her with such warm jitteriness each and every morning. Would he tease her today? Ignore her? Would she be the one teasing him? It was hard to say most of the time, but looking forward to finding out wasn't something she'd ever give up.

Anticipation.

She typed slowly, smile growing. Stretching her legs out toward him, she kept her eyes on the screen, but could still see him looking at her. _Something on your mind?_ She raised a brow at him.

He stretched his legs out beside hers on the outside of the couch, relaxed and content as he typed. _Maybe._

She wished she hadn't wrapped herself up like a mummy. She wanted to feel his skin against hers again. It was addictive. He was addictive; Jeff was like her new drug. He made her feel good, warm, pleasant, he made her heart race and her pulse pound. He was in her blood, and more recently, had been inside her.

She felt on top of the world, and always did, when Jeff was around.

But he had side effects as well. Like maybe being bad for her heart. Not to mention her blood pressure.

Returning her attention to her phone, she glanced at his text to her from earlier in the night to remind her what he'd said and typed in the same words. _Do tell. I'm all ears._ After he received her text and read it, she dropped her phone to her lap, settling her fingers behind her ears and waggling them.

His hand settled comfortably on her foot, which was wrapped in the sheet. Eyes dropping to her chest, he leered at her, chuckling when she kicked lightly at him and stared pointedly at his phone. _...I can't._ he texted back, with a little helpless shrug and a sad pair of puppy dog eyes.

Groaning, she shifted around a little, wanting to crawl over to him. Wanting to be in his arms and wrap her own around him. To kiss him--

Yeah. Just like a drug.

 _Good,_ she texted, smirking his way, _I've decided that it needs to be said in person._ She sent him a challenging look.

His grin was something she longed to see at least once a day. Seeing it here, solely for her, with no distractions and no people around to share it with, she felt her stomach flop a few times before settling again.

Her phone buzzed. _Not fair ...no, wait. Totally fair._

She aimed a smile his way and dialed his phone.

Again, he made a big show of answering it, but his voice, when he did, was soft and tender. His eyes settled firmly on her, small smile playing at his mouth. "Hi."

"Gosh Jeff, it's just a simple thing. Do you think maybe you need to buy a vowel or use a lifeline?" She'd meant to sound snarky like he had earlier that night, but it came out more like a tender tease.

He slid his hand up to hers and threaded their fingers together, tugging on her. She allowed him to pull her toward him, feeling the flopping in her stomach again. Settling between him and the back of the couch, she curled up next to him like she'd wanted to do since he'd first sat down. Well, since they'd sat up in bed, actually.

His skin was cool to the touch now, no longer slick with sweat and effort. He smelled good, though. Like he shouldn't, but somehow did. Musky and Jeff-y.

Climbing to her knees, she quickly unwrapped the sheet, using enough effort to make Jeff take notice of her bouncing bits. Settling back down, breathing heavily, she covered them both.

"Well, that was interesting."

She smacked him lightly on the arm, fishing her forgotten phone out from under her leg. Hanging it up and tossing it to the table, she settled against him, closing her eyes.

He wrapped his arm around her and shifted. She heard his phone drop beside hers. "I don't think extra vowels would help," he mumbled, lips pressing to the top of her head. "I do... _that_ you, but I need some time."

Time she could give him. She didn't need him to go down on one knee and declare his love for her. Or propose marriage, because that wasn't going to happen for years and years. Once she'd graduated and had her life settled, then she'd think about marriage. Right now, though, she just wanted Jeff, and if this was how she got him, then so be it.

"I don't need you to love me, Jeff--"

"Annie, I do--"

She shook her head, silencing him. "Not yet, anyway. I just need to know that you're not going to go back to running away from us. That you aren't going to confuse me anymore by wanting me and not wanting to be with me." That's where her heart couldn't trust him. The not knowing how he'd treat her from one moment to the next. They didn't talk about their feelings, not often, so she never knew what to expect from him.

Sliding her fingers across his chest, she felt him shudder lightly.

"Hm." He pressed a kiss to her temple, stilling her hand with his own. "I thought finally giving in to the complications of this relationship and sleeping with you might have answered those questions, but apparently I did it wrong. That's okay, no need to panic. I'll try again. And again. And again. Until I get it right. No matter what it takes, I'll do--"

"Okay, okay." She snickered, rolling her eyes. She might not be able to trust him completely yet, but this was a good start. And they'd just see how it went as it went.

"But, you do believe that I... you?" He sounded so unsure and concerned that she felt her heart melt some.

"I don't know," she hedged, then tried to lighten the mood a little, not wanting to get too bogged down by things that weren't a concern right now. "I mean, you sound like a caveman."

"Ugg. Me like Annie." He lightly tugged on her hair and bent down to press a kiss to her smiling lips.

She laughed into his mouth, shivering when he curved his hand around to the dip of her hip. "All right, Mr. Winger. You've got time to learn how to say you love me, and--"

"Prove it to you."

"Right. And I'm now looking forward to the fun, sexy things you'll be doing in order to prove it to me. Do you _own_ a teapot costume, or am I going to have to rent one?"

"Uhhh...?"

She laughed and rested her chin on his shoulder. "Nothing. Just something you'll be doing in the near future. To prove your love."

He looked like he knew he wasn't going to enjoy whatever she had in mind, but he merely swallowed hard and nodded. Dreading whatever it was already. She wanted to laugh harder, but didn't want to scare him off too quickly.

"Please use your time wisely, Mr. Winger."

"Yes, ma'am." He lost the dread quickly and leered at her. "I can't wait to meet the other Mr. Winger. I assume he's just as handsome as the original?"

"More so."

"Hung?"

She snorted with laughter again, turning her flaming face into his side. "Jeff!"

"Still so prim even after everything we've--"

"Yes. Shut up."

He chuckled and got more comfortable, sinking lower into the cushions, taking her with him. "Fine. I'll just have to work on you some more. Although, I do kind of like the uninhibited inhibitions when you're turned on. It's kind of hot." He fell silent for a minute. Then, "You know, I think the other Mr. Winger might like it if you dressed up in the Santa's helper outfit again." The back of his hand traced lazy patterns on her shoulder. "It's in my closet... just thought I'd mention that. So, any time you feel like putting that plan into action, you know where it is."

She drew back to look up at him, smile curving her lips, eyes bright with amusement. Tossing the sheet in the air, she let it billow around her back as she climbed on top of him, feeling her body warming from the inside while his warmed her from the outside. "I think that can be arranged. Minus the awkward baby talk."

A smile curved up his lips, full of fondness and a softness in his eyes. "Definitely minus the baby talk." His hands threaded through her hair on either side of her face. "You're better than that, Annie."

She kissed him softly, slowly, deciding the New Year was off to a great start even before the old one ended.


End file.
